Rail-joint.



S. B. NELSONL RAIL mm. A o APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1909. Patented Oct. 18, 2 BHBETB-SHEET 1.

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' QP k\ M l ,i lll v Q N o5 I 1|' y W N g NIH l S. E. NELSON. RAIL JOINT. APPLIOATAION FILED JUNE 16, 1909.

Patented ct. 18,1910.

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SANTA E. NELSON, OF KENNETT, CALIFORNIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application filed .Tune 16, 1909.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, SANTA E; NELSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kennett, in the county of Shasta and State of California, have invented a new and useful Rail-Joint, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a combined antirail creeping and nut-locking rail joint.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of rail joints, and to provide a simple, inexpensive and efficient rail joint of great strength and durability, equipped with means for preventing excessive creeping of the rails and also for retaining the cross ties in proper supporting position with relation to the rail joint and for positively locking the nuts of the bolts from accidental rotation, so that the nuts will not have to be screwed so tight that the threads of the bolts will be subjected to undue strain.

Another object of the invention is to equip the rail joint with nut-locking mechanism, adapted to be moved away from a nut by a wrench in the ordinary use of the same, so that bolts may be easily tightened or loosened, or a broken bolt replaced without removing or changing the nut-locking means.

With these and other objects inview, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts 'hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail joint, constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. y3 is a perspective view of one of the members of the rail joint. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, illustrating the same member in a dierent position. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the other member of the rail joint. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the resilient nutlocking key.

Like numerals of reference desigate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The rail joint comprises in its construe- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

Serial No. 502,566.

tion two angle fish plates 1 and 2 and a flat supporting base plate 3, receiving the ends of the rails l and formed integral with the fish plate 1 and constituting a portion of one of the members of the rail joint. The angle fish plates, which may be of any preferred configuration, engage the rails at the opposite sides thereof' and are provided with registering bolt openings 5 and 6 for the reception of transverse bolts 7, piercing the fish plates and the webs of the rails in the usual manner and provided with nuts 8.

The flat horizontal base plate 3, which is supported by two cross ties 9, extends from the lower portion of the integral fish plate 1 beneath the rails to a point beyond the I opposite edges of the bottom flanges of the said rails to provide an exterior projecting ortion, which has a longitudinal slot 10 Ior the reception of a depending longitudinal iiange 11 of the detachable or removable angle fish plate 2. The angle fish plate 2, which constitutes the other member of a rail joint, rests upon the adjacent bottom flanges of the rails and isvinterlocked with the base plate by means of the depending flange 11, which terminates short of the ends of the fish plates to expose spike openings 12 of the base plate. The spike openings 12 are located beyond the ends of the`longitudinal slot and enable spikes 13, which are driven into cross ties, to engage the terminal portions of the angle fish plate 2, which has end recesses 14 for the reception of the shanks of' the spikes. The longitudinal flange 11 by fitting in the longitudinal slot 10 of the base plate retains the two members of the rail joint in proper relative position and maintains the fish plates in parallelism and prevents any liability of the plates moving longitudinally on each other. This interlocking of the two members relieves the bolts of any strain tending to move either member longitudinally of the other. Also the interlocking of the flange with the slotted extension of the base plate maintains the bolt openings 5 and G in registering relation and facilities the application of the bolts to the members of the rail joint, and it serves to equalize the strain between the two members and prevents either of the members from being subjected to undue strain.

The cross ties 9 are maintained in proper supporting position with relation to the rail joint by means of depending terminal anaway from the nut.

' nuts to be readily turned either backward choring flanges 15, formed integral with and extending downward from the base plate and fitting against the outer side faces of the cross tie 9, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The flanges 15, which may be increased in number to provide means for engaging both the inner and outer side faces of the cross ties, if desired, relieve the spikes of strain and enable the same to operate more effectively to secure the rails to the cross ties and prevent the rails from spreading. Also the anchoring fianges relieve the spikes of the creeping stress of the rails, which often causes the spikes to split the cross ties and produce weak points in the track.

The angle fish plate 1 is provided on the exterior of its lowerinclined portion with upwardly7 projecting lugs 16, preferably extended across the upper face ofthe lower inclined portion, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and located at the terminals of the fish plate 1 and at points mid-way between thek boltopenings 5. The lugs are provided adjacent t0Y the vertical or upright portions of the fish plate 1 with seats or recesses 17, forming outer vertical shoulders 18 and adapted to receive a horizontally disposed resilient nut-locking key 19. The nut-locking key 19, which is supported above and in placed relation to the lower inclined portion of the fish plate 1 by the lugs 16, consists of a narrow relatively thin strip of spring steel or other resilient material, and it has its terminals split longitudinally, the split portions being bent npward and downward at right angles to form projecting stops or lugs 20. The resilient locking key, which is reversible to present either of its flat facesv to the edges of the nuts 8, is held against longitudinal movement by the stops 20, which fit against the outer face of the terminal lugs 16k of the fish platev 1, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The key engages the lower edges of the entire series or set of nuts 8 and locks the same against rotary movement.

The lugs support the resilient locking key at intervals and divide the same into a plurality of reversible nut-engaging portions, which, when 1t 1s desired to tighten or loosen bolts are adapted to be pressed downward out of the way of the nut by a wrench. -When a wrench is applied to the nut of a bolt, it will come in contact with the adjacent resilient portion of the key pressing the same down This will enable the or forward without removing the nut-locking key.

The angle fish plate 1 is provided at its -lower portion with exteriorV recesses 23,

adapted to be engaged by heads of spikes 24, driven into the cross ties 9 and engaging the rail joint at the opposite side from the spikes 13. The heads of the spikes are spaced a sufficient distance from the resilient nut-locking key 19, so as not to interfere with the operation of the same. The rail joint firmly supports the rails and effectually lprevents the same from pounding and becoming flattened by the wheels of a train.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rail joint including a base plate having integral depending tie-engaging anchoring flanges and provided at one of its side edges near its ends with spike-receiving openings and having a continuous longitudinal slot extending from one end of the base plate to the other to within a short distance of the spike-receiving openings and arranged in alinementvwith the same, a removable fish plate provided at the bottom with a continuous depending longitudinal flange fitted in the longitudinal slot and interlocking the base plate with the fish plate and terminating short of the ends of the removable fish plate, the latter being provided with spikereceiving recesses located at the ends of the depending longitudinal flange and exposing the spike-receiving openings of the base plate, and spikes arranged in the recesses of theremovable fish plate and extending through the openings of the base plate and having their heads extending over the bottom flange of the removable fish plate and engaging the same above the bottom flange of the rail.

2. A rail joint including a base plate, a relatively fixed fish plate formed integral with the base plate and located at one side thereof, a removable fish plate located at the opposite side of the fish plate, bolts connecting the fish plates and provided with nuts,

. oney of thek fish plates being provided with a plurality of spaced supports, and a resilient key arranged on the supports and presen-ting resilient portions to the nuts to lock the same against rot-ation, said resilient portions being arranged to be engaged and forced awa-y from the nuts by a wrench or other tool.

3. A rail joint including a base plate, a relatively fixed fish plate formed integral with the base plate and located at one side thereof, a removable fish plate located at the opposite side of the fish plate, bolts connecting the fish plates and provided with nuts, one of the said fish plates being provided with spaced lugs having recesses or seats, and a resilient key fitting in the rei cesses or seats and supported by the lugs and presenting resilient portions to the nuts,

lwhereby the latter are locked against rotation.

1f. A rail joint including a base plate, a

r'elatively fixed fish plate formed integral with the base plate and located at one side thereof, a removable fish plate located at the opposite side of the fish plate, bolts connecting the fish plates and provided with nuts, one of the fish plates being provided at intervals with lugs located at the terminals of such fish plate and at points midway between the bolts, and a resilient locking key supported by the said lugs and presenting resilient portions to the nuts and having means for engaging the terminal lugs for holding them against longitudinal 1novement,

5. A rail joint including` a base plate, a relatively fixed fish plate formed integral with the base plate and located at one side thereof, a removable fish plate located at the opposite side of the fish plate, bolts connecting the fish plates and provided with nuts, one of the fish plates being provided at intervals with lugs located at the terminals of such fish plate and at points midway between the bolts, and a resilient locking key supported by the said lugs and presenting resilient portions to the nuts and having its terminals split longitudinally, the split portions being bent vertically in opposite directions, whereby the key is reversible and is held against longitudinal movement.

G. A rail joint including a base plate, an angle fish plate formed integral with the base plate and provided at its lower portion with integral lugs having recesses forming outer vertical shoulders, said fish plate being also provided in its upper portion with bolt openings located between the lugs, a removable fish plate having bolt openings alined with the said openings, bolts having nuts, and a locking key arranged in the recesses of the lugs and supported by the latter above and in spaced relation with the lower portion of the fish plate and engaging the lower edges of the nuts to lock the same.

In testimony, that l claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

NORMAN MoDoNALD, EDNA HART. 

